‘Entre le bœuf et l’âne gris’ (downloadable PDF)

$1.00

A gorgeously dark Breton/French carol melody, here set in A-minor for Scottish-style pipes, with an original harmony part by Timothy Cummings. Please see the below description for more information and an audio and video samples.

Description

A gorgeously dark Breton/French carol melody, here set in A-minor for Scottish-style pipes, with an original harmony part by Timothy Cummings. This melody was sourced from The New Oxford Book of Carols (1992), and was recently recorded by Wheezer & Squeezer for their music video, and on track 8 of ‘The Wind Among the Reeds‘ album. The title translates to “Oxen and asses stand around”, or more accurately “Between [or among] the ox and the gray ass”, in reference to the Christ Child being born in a stall for livestock. Chord symbols and French and English lyrics included. (The English translation includes the line “Shepherds are piping all around…”) [NB: This tune requires the use of F- and C-naturals. For chanters that do not have F- and C-natural keys, these notes may be produced by taping the relevant soundholes flatter, or by using ‘forked’ fingering patterns on a conical (Highland or Border) chanter.]